The mobile application market is expanding rapidly, whether we talk on a global basis or just of the mobile app development companies in India, with a dramatic increase in mobile phone usage. Mobile apps are no longer just a way of providing information and entertainment, but act as an extension of a company’s brand. Developing a mobile application sounds quite expensive. Most people believe that developing a quality mobile app costs a considerable amount of money, and that limited budget apps are destined to fail. However, this is not the case. The mobile app development companies which provide mobile app development services in India and abroad sometimes come out with wonderful apps in a low budget even. Many mobile app development companies are developing successful mobile applications with a strict budget.
There are certain strategies that you can adapt that can significantly cut down the costs of mobile app development without compromising its quality:
● Preliminary Research: The expenses for a mobile app development on the whole do not end as soon as its launched, they go on well beyond when you find bugs that need to be corrected essentially in later versions. But if initial research is carried out on different aspects, there will be lesser need to modify the app later on, which will result in diminished costs. Consider the following points:
● Outsource App Development: Although in-house app development means more control over the design and development process, it involves more expenditure as compared to outsource app development. The cost of developing an app in-house is on an average between $150,000 and $450,000 while outsourcing brings it down to $10,000 and $80,000. Apart from this, there are some other pros of outsourcing app development such as you do not have to be involved in the development process every day, which allows you to focus on other activities. It is a cost-efficient strategy as you also get access to a pool of specialized talent with lesser cost expenditure.
● Select the Right Outsourcing Agency: App developers greatly differ both in their experience and the quotes offered. It is crucial to balance these two aspects as selecting a low-priced agency with less experience can compromise the quality of the app. Always select an agency that handles every aspect of the app itself, including designing, developing, marketing, maintenance, etc. rather than choosing one that only deals with a part of the project as it adds profoundly to the overall costs.
● Select the Right Mobile App Development Pricing Model: You need to decide whether you should pay hourly rates or a fixed price to your outsourcing agency. Paying a fixed price seems more rational since you have a limited budget. However, having a fixed price model means there won’t be any room left for modifications unless you pay extra for making those modifications. Some mobile app development companies provide another app development pricing model for businesses with a limited budget. These companies guide you where you can reduce costs and what features to get rid of to create the mobile app within a limited budget.
● Reuse Content: If your business is using more than one app, reuse content as it saves time and reduces content development costs. For example, if you have to create content for the Register page on your application, you can use the same content for the Register page on the second app.
● Cross-platform App Development: The current trend in mobile app development is developing cross-platform applications where the code is written once and can be deployed across all platforms including Android and iOS. This saves a lot of time and reduces development costs as you do not have to create separate apps for separate mobile operating systems. It increases ROI (Return On Investment) on app development and reduces time on app marketing.
● Identify the Right Approach to Develop the App: An app development approach should be in agreement with the time and budget constraints of a client. There are three types of approaches to develop an app:
● Build an MVP: Consider building an MVP (Minimal Viable Product), if the main features of the app cost more than the ideal budget, instead of developing a complete functionality app from the beginning. MVP is crucial in app development for its cost-efficient properties. An MVP will enable you to:
It is best to begin with an app with 2-3 main features and test the app in the market before investing any more money on its development.
● Ditch Push Notifications: Excluding the push notification feature can dramatically reduce overall expenses by almost 20%. This is not a critical feature that the app cannot do without, unless your business model necessitates it. Small businesses and startup companies can save considerably by leaving out this feature.
● Choose Open-source Frameworks: Creating an app from scratch is very time consuming and extremely expensive. Your main focus should only be on the features, specifications, and content of the app. So to reduce costs, consider building the app using an open-source framework which already has the basic functions of an app. You can also try and test templates along with other app tools using a framework.
● Regular Testing: Testing the app regularly ensures that all the features of the app are working along expected lines. There are many functions in an app that are linked to one another and modifying one of them after completion of the project results in breaking up the flow and increases development costs. Fixing bugs at the end leads to additional expenditure. Regular testing enables you to deal with unexpected factors and keeps the testing budget under control.
Summarizing
There is no denying the fact that creating a mobile app for the first time can be quite overwhelming. While developing an app within a fixed budget, try not to leave out any core feature that may compromise the quality of the app. It is best to start with an app with basic features and then keep on adding more features and functionalities with newer versions. Collect valuable feedback from users and use that feedback to remove bugs and add more functionality to the application.
